Jose Ramirez Powers Cleveland Past Reds; Carlos Gonzalez, Rockies Tighten NL West With 19-2 Win Over Arizona

Players of the Day for Wednesday, July 11, 2018

Ramirez: 2 HR, 5 RBI

American League

With Cincinnati (last place in the NL Central) taking two straight in Cleveland (first place in the AL Central), the series finale proved to be more in line with the standings as the Indians pummeled the Reds, 19-4.

Cleveland, in no danger of being caught any time soon, given their 8 1/2 game bulge in the division, let their efficient hitters loose, banging out 19 hits - including four home runs - as they scored in three of the first four innings.

Jose Ramirez started the parade around the bases with a two-run homer in the first inning, and followed up with a three-run blast in his next at-bat, as the Indians piled on nine third inning runs. Six runs in the fourth inning was more than enough for Cleveland starter, Carlos Carrasco, who notched his 10th win against five losses with five innings of work, allowing one run on five hits.

Ramirez, who will be the starting AL third baseman in next week's all star game, is already approaching his career highs from 2017, when he belted 29 homers and drove in 83 runs. The two blasts in Wednesday's slaughter have him at 27 on the year, with 65 RBI. He's second in AL home runs and tied for second (with Seattle's Mitch Haniger) in RBI.

The Indians open a four game series with the incoming Yankees on Thursday. Game time is 7:10 pm EDT.

National League

Gonzalez: 2 HR, 6 RBI

In his first two at-bats in Colorado's 19-2 romp over Arizona, Carlos Gonzalez grounded into fielder's choices, each time arriving at first safely and driving in a run.

Next time up, in the third inning, Gonzalez ripped a solo shot out of the park, though it hardly mattered, the Rockies already up by an 11-1 score. Adding to Arizona's pain, Gonzalez parked another in the fourth, this time with two men aboard, giving him six RBI on the night.

Gonzalez has 10 home runs, 38 RBI, and a .275 batting average.

The result tightened the already contentious NL West race, as the Dodgers, Giants and Rockies all won on Wednesday. LA trails the Diamondbacks by just 1/2 game. San Francisco is three out; Colorado 3 1/2 back.

It's going to get more interesting as the Diamondbacks wrap up their visit to Colorado, Thursday at 3:10 pm EDT.

Torii Hunter Saves Twins with 9th-Inning Homer; Carlos Gonzalez, Rockies Dump Nats with Grand Slam

Players of the Day for Friday, August 7, 2015

American League

Gonzalez: GS, 4 RBI

Hunter Leads Twins

A much-needed win was what the Twins got Friday in the opener of a three-game series in Cleveland, when Torii Hunter put Minnesota on top with a ninth-inning solo homer for a 10-9 victory.

Minnesota was coming off being swept four straight in Toronto by the Blue Jays, prior to which they ended a series against Seattle with a 4-1 loss, their Friday night win snapping a five-game losing streak.

Hunter's home run was his 18th of the season. In previous at-bats he singled and doubled, going 3-for-5 with three RBI and three runs. He has 60 RBI on the year.

Minnesota's win left them in second place, 9 1/2 games back of the Royals in the AL Central, the largest lead in any of MLB's six divisions. The Twins are also on the outside looking in at the wild card, where they trail the Angels by 3 1/2 games, but have Toronto and Baltimore ahead of them as well.

The series between the Twins and Indians resumes Saturday night at 7:10 pm EDT.

National League

Carlos Gonzalez lashed a two-out, eighth-inning grand slam, erasing a 4-1 deficit and sending the Colorado Rockies to a 5-4 win over the Washington Nationals.

The 23rd home run of the season for Gonzalez came off reliever Drew Storen, who was saddled with the loss, eclipsing a solid pitching performance by starter Jordan Zimmerman, who allowed the Rockies just four hits and one earned run over 6 2/3 innings. The four RBI gave Gonzalez an even 60 on the year.

The win meant little to the Rockies, who are mired in last place in the NL West, but sent the Nationals to a sixth loss in their last eight games. Since the All-Star break, Washington has been sliding into mediocrity, going 8-13, relinquishing their NL East lead to the Mets, who, following Friday's 4-3 victory over Tampa Bay, hold a 2 1/2 game lead over the Nationals in the division.

Game two of the three-game series at Nationals Park is slated for 7:05 pm EDT, Saturday night.

Mike Trout's 4-for-4, Grand Slam Lifts Angels; Carlos Gonzalez Smacks Two Homers, Drives in Six for Rockies

Players of the Day for Sunday, July 26, 2015

American League

Trout: 4-4, Grand Slam

Regaining the major league home run lead from teammate Albert Pujols, Mike Trout helped the Angels salvage a win in their three-game series with Texas, going 4-for-4 with a pair of singles and two homers (#s 30, 31), one of which was a grand slam.

After dropping the first two games of the series, 4-2, and, 7-6, the Angels roared back on Sunday with a 13-7 rout.

Combined with Houston's 5-1 loss at Kansas City, the win pushed the Angels back into sole possession of first place in the AL West with a one-game lead over the Astros.

Trout socked a solo homer in the first inning, then followed up with the grand slam in the sixth, blowing open a game that the Angels led by only a run - 3-2 - entering the inning.

By the time the Rangers got to bat again in the top of the seventh, it was 8-2, and the outcome largely determined.

Gonzalez: 2HR, 6RBI

Trout's 4-for-4 effort boosted his batting average to .315, among the league leaders, and his five RBI gave him 64 on the season, fifth-best in the American League.


National League

After singling home the first run in Colorado's half of the third inning, Carlos Gonzalez capped a 10-run outburst by the Rockies with a two-run homer, giving Colorado a 12-4 lead over the visiting Reds.

Gonzalez smashed another homer - this time a three-run shot - in the fifth inning, tallying six RBI on the day and helping the Rockies to a 15-hit, 17-7 victory, taking two out of three from the visiting Reds.

The homers were Gonzalez's 17th and 18th of the season, his 3-for-4 effort giving him a .270 batting average with 47 RBI.

The win didn't help Colorado much, as they still are last in the NL West, 12 games behind the LA Dodgers, who hold a one-game edge over he Giants.

One of the more prolific hitters in the National League, 29-year-old Gonzalez has 154 homers and 504 RBI with a .291 average in eight major league seasons.

Carlos Gonzalez Socks 20th Homer, Leads Rockies over Phils; Josh Reddick Powers A's past M's

Players of the Day for Sunday, June 16, 2013

American League

Teams in the American League better start taking the Oakland A's seriously.

Josh Reddick

Despite losing the first two games of their series against the Mariners, the A's came back to win Sunday's finale, 10-2, to remain in first place in the West, three games up on the Rangers, losers of six in a row.

Every batter in the A's starting lineup had at least one hit, totaling 17 over the course of the lopsided victory, and ageless Bartolo Colon gave them seven innings of work, allowing just two runs on eight hits, improving to 8-2.

At the top of his game was Jason Reddick, who went 4-for-5, slugging his third home run, tripling, singling twice, scoring two runs and driving in a pair. Reddick, despite his anemic .211 average, extended his personal hitting streak to four games, and he's hit safely in eight of his last ten. He's emblematic of the type of player the A's have all over the field: unassuming, non-superstars who put in their best effort game after game, day after day.

Over the past month, the A's have gone 22-7, rising to the top of the division as they prepare for a showdown with the second place Rangers. The four game series begins Monday night in Arlington at 8:05 pm EDT.

National League

Carlos Gonzalez

Colorado pulled to within 1/2 game of Arizona in the NL West, taking two of three from the visiting Phillies, with Sunday's 5-2 win.

Sending Philly starter, Cole Hamels, to his 10th loss in 12 decisions, the Rockies broke open a 1-0 game with two runs in the seventh inning and sealed the deal in the eighth as Carlos Gonzalez banged his league-leading 20th home run with a man aboard to make the score 5-0.

Gonzalez also singled and scored in the seventh, going 2-for-4 on the day with two runs and two RBI, tying him with Cincinnati's Brandon Phillips with 56 on the year, three behind league leader, Paul Goldschmidt.

Having a sound campaign, Gonzalez is batting a stout .316, putting him in contention for a run at a triple crown. A one-man wrecking crew of Philadelphia pitching, Gonzalez went 8-for-12 in the three-game series, scoring five runs, with two homers and four RBI.

The Rockies got eight scoreless innings from starter Jhoulys Chacin (5-3), who surrendered two runs in the ninth, getting to within one out of a complete game. Rex Brothers came on to get the final out and his third save.

The Rockies begin a nine game road trip starting Monday night in Toronto, where they open a three-game series with the Blue Jays, at 7:07 pm EDT. They then head to Washington for four games with the Nationals, followed by two in Boston.

Today's Trivia:: Who led the National League in hits in 2011? (answer tomorrow)

Yesterday's Answer: Boston's Adrian Gonzalez and Michael Young each had 213 hits - tops in the majors - in 2011.

Carlos Gonzalez, Troy Tulowitzki Blast Reds; R.A. Dickey Hurls 8 1/3 Shutout Innings as Jays Top Giants

Players of the Day for Wednesday, June 5, 2013

American League

R.A. Dickey

Toronto is still nine games under .500, dead last in the AL East, 10 1/2 games out, but on Wednesday they got a boost from knuckle-baller R.A. Dickey, who blanked the Giants on two hits over 8 1/3 innings in a 4-0 Blue Jay win.

At 5-7, Dickey's had his troubles moving from the National to the American League (he pitched for the Mets until this season), so maybe interleague play suits his style, but whatever the case, San Francisco hitters couldn't get good wood on his knuckler except for a couple of harmless singles, one by Pedro Sandoval in the fourth, the other by Gregor Blanco with one out in the ninth. Dickey followed Blanco's hit by walking Marco Scutaro, which got him the hook from manager John Gibbons. Casey Janssen came on for the final two outs, earning his 12th save of the year.

Dickey walked two and struck out five, splitting the two-game series a game apiece. The Toronto hurler also help his own cause, driving in the Blue Jays' first run with a double in the fifth inning as Toronto scored all of their runs in the frame.

The Jays and Giants part company on Thursday, the Giants going to Phoenix for a three-game series with NL West leader, Arizona, while the Blue Jays head back home for a three-game set with the Texas Rangers, starting Friday.

The Giants dropped three games behind the Diamondbacks in the NL West. The loss to Toronto was their sixth in their last nine games.

National League

Tulo: 5-5, 2 HR

In a battle of divisional contenders, the rubber match of the three-game series between the Reds and the Rockies turned into a Colorado home-run derby as the Rockies banged out 20 hits and socked six homers in a 12-4 romp.

The Reds took the opener at home, 3-0, on Monday, but the Rockies came back with a 5-4 decision on Tuesday. Wednesday's finale started out well for the Reds, who had a 4-1 lead after the first inning, though that proved to be all they'd score of Jon Garland and a pair of relievers, while the Rockies hammered five Cincinnati pitchers, scoring multiple runs in the third, fourth, seventh and eighth innings.

Gonzalez: 3HR, 6RBI

Troy Tulowitzki went 5-for-5 with a pair of long-balls, a two run homer in the third and a solo shot in the eighth. While Tulo had an exceptional day at the plate, he was overshadowed by Carlos Gonzalez, who blasted three out of Great American Ball Park, driving in six runs with a solo shot, a two-run job and a three-run belt, giving him 17 homers on the season, second in the NL behind Domonic Brown, who smashed his 18th in the Phillies' 6-1 win over Miami. Tulowitzki is third in the league with 15.

The result left the Reds still very much in the hunt in the NL East, trailing the Cardinals by 2 1/2 games, while the Rockies leave Cincinnati with a 2-1 series win, also 2 1/2 games behind the West, where the Diamondbacks lead.

Today's Trivia:: Who led the majors in doubles for three straight seasons, 1984 though 1986? (answer tomorrow)

Yesterday's Answer: The Yankees' Derek Jeter is the current active leader in plate appearances with 11,895 trips.

Melky Cabrera Torches Zito, Giants, as Blue Jays Win 3rd Straight; Calos Gonzalez Goes 5-for-5 as Rockies' Belt Cubs

Players of the Day for Tuesday, May 14, 2013

American League

Melky Cabrera

San Francisco may have a 1 1/2 game lead in the NL West, but there are issues, one of which is the effectiveness of starting pitcher, Barry Zito, who was roundly pounded for 12 hits and eight runs (five earned) over 5 1/3 innings in a 10-6 rout at Toronto.

Zito's problems seem to be a function of road weariness. In his prior two road starts, he lasted only 2 2/3 innings in Milwaukee before going 3 2/3 at San Diego, making Tuesday's outing the longest of his last three away starts.

The troubles for Zito started with former teammate and leadoff hitter Melky Cabrera, who reached on an error and eventually scored in the first, then, later in the inning, drove in the last two of Toronto's six first inning runs.

Cabrera continued his assault throughout the game, singling in the fourth, singling and scoring in the sixth and doubling in another run in the seventh, finishing 4-for-5 and reaching base every time he went plate-ward.

Toronto banged out 18 hits in the win, its third straight, though they remain mired in last place in the AL East, 9 1/2 games behind the division-leading Yankees.

The Giants will try to earn a split in the two-game series Wednesday night in Toronto. Game time is 7:07 pm EDT.

National League

Gonzalez:
5-for-5, 2HR, 3RBI

The Rockies had a brief taste of first place earlier in the season, and, just two games out, appear to have an appetite for a full meal.

Knocking out Cubs starter, Christian Villanueva, on 12 hits and seven runs over five innings, the Rockies accumulated 17 hits in a 9-4 win at Chicago.

In the middle of their offensive assault was Carlos Gonzalez, who went 5-for-5 with a pair of solo home runs, a double, two singles, three RBI and three runs.

Gonzalez was a thorn in the Cubs' side all game long, his Tuesday performance a sign that, after two so-so seasons, he's regained the form from 2010, when he hit .336 with 34 homers and 117 RBI. Gonzalez currently is batting .313 with nine dingers and 22 RBI.

Colorado's win evened the three-game series with the Cubs at a game apiece. The rubber game goes off at 8:05 pm EDT at Wrigley Field.

Today's Trivia: The active strikeout leaders are both lefties and currently play for the same team. Who are they?

Yesterday's Answer: The two lefties in the top four all-time strikeout leaders are Randy Johnson (4875) and Steve Carlton (4136). Nolar Ryan is the all-time leaders with 5714 Ks; Roger Clemens is third, at 4672.

Carlos Gonzalez Ties MLB Mark as Rockies Sweep Astros; Delmon Young Powers Tigers Past Red Sox

Players of the Day for Thursday, May 31, 2012

American League

Delmon Young

In the only Al game of the day, Detroit topped Boston, 7-3, avoiding being swept by the Red Sox in the concluded four-game series at Fenway Park.

Delmon Young, who joined the Tigers late last season after three-and-a-half years with the Twins and is off to a slow start, singled twice and hit an eighth-inning solo homer in five at-bats, powering Detroit with three RBI and a run scored.

Young is hitting just .256 with four homers and 19 RBI in 44 games this season.


National League

Gonzalez: 4 straight HRs

The Colorado Rockies completed their four game sweep of Houston with an 11-5 victory as Carlos Gonzalez tied a record held by 21 other major leaguers by hitting his fourth home run in as many plate appearances. 38 players have hit four home runs in four straight official at-bats.

Gonzalez connected in the first inning off Astro starter Bud Norris, blasting a three-run shot to left field as the Rockies scored five times in the opening frame and added four more in the second for a commanding lead.

Having hit three homers in his final three at-bats in Wednesday's 13-5 rout, Gonzalez was looking to set a new major league record for home runs in consecutive at-bats, but was intentionally walked, to the great displeasure of the Colorado fans.

He eventually scored in the inning and finished the game 3-for-4 with three RBI and three runs.

NOTES: Some key weekend series begin Friday in both leagues, with the Orioles at Tampa Bay and the LA Angels hosting West division leader, Texas, in the AL, while the key action in the NL is focused on the tight East division. Philadelphia hosts Miami, and first place Washington travels to Atlanta. All five teams in the division are within three games of each other and all are above .500 on the season.

Justin Smoak, Jesus Montero Lead Mariners in 21-8 Rout of Rangers; Carlos Gonzalez Belts 3 HR as Rockies Win 3rd Straight

Players of the Day for Wednesday, May 30, 2012

American League

Jesus Montero

Justin Smoak went 3-for-5 and cracked a pair of home runs as the Seattle Mariners decimated Texas pitching in a 21-8 pounding of the Rangers.

Justin Smoak

Smoak was part of an eight-run outburst in the second innings, as he doubled and scored after Jose Montero singled to lead off the inning. In the third, Smoak drilled one of his two three-run blasts as the Mariners sent 13 batters to the plate and tallied another eight runs, putting themselves comfortably ahead 16-0.

With his second homer of the night in the seventh inning - another three-run shot - Smoak finished up with six RBI and three runs. Jesus Montero singled, doubled and homered in four at-bats, driving in four runs and scoring four times.

The Mariners took two of three from the Rangers in Texas. The 21 runs were the most scored in a single fame by one team. The Rangers and Rockies have each put up 18-run totals this season.


National League

Carlos Gonzalez

Colorado continues to be one of the least-balanced teams in either league. Tied for fifth in the National League with San Francisco, with a 2.59 team batting average, they have plenty of offense, but their combined, league-worst 5.18 ERA is primarily what has kept them near or at the bottom of the NL West division.

The Rockies knocked off the Houston Astros, 13-5, Wednesday night for their third straight win, all over the Astros. The series in Colorado concludes Thursday in Colorado.

Carlos Gonzalez demonstrated why he is regarded as one of the best hitters in baseball, powering three home runs as he went 4-for-5 on the night, driving in four runs and scoring three times.

Gonzalez in among the NL leaders in the main offensive categories, batting .323 with 13 homers (tied for third) and 41 RBI (3rd).

Carlos Gonzalez Drives in Six as Rockies Dump Mets, 18-9; Seattle's Michael Saunders Slams Blue Jays

Players of the Day for Friday, April 27, 2012

American League

Seattle may not be a match for the Rangers in the AL West division race, but thus far in the season, they've shown a bit of spunk, like the way they handled the Blue Jays in the opener of a three game series in Toronto.

Saunders: 2HR, 5RBI

Michael Saunders hit a pair of homers in the 9-5, 10-inning victory, including a grand slam in the extra inning that got the Mariners over the .500 mark (11-10) and into a tie with Oakland for second place, 4 1/2 games behind Texas.

Entering the ninth, Seattle trailed, 5-3, but put together a couple of runs on Saunders' solo shot and John Jaso's RBI single. Dustin Ackley was thrown out at the plate trying to score the go-ahead run, setting up Saunders' heroic slam in the 10th.

Saunders has been with the Mariners organization since 2005, getting his first taste of the big league in 2009. This year, as the regular center fielder, he's batting .254 with three homers and 11 RBI.


National League

Baseballs were flying all over Coors field Friday night, as the NY Mets and Colorado Rockies opened a three-game series by wearing out each others' bullpens.

Gonzalez: HR, 6RBI

The Mets banged out 17 hits off six Colorado pitchers, but the Rockies proved much more efficient, turning their 19 hits into 18 runs (also off six pitchers) - including 11 in the fifth inning alone - doubling up the Mets, 18-9.

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As usual, Carlos Gonzalez was right in the middle of the action, going 3-for-6, driving in six runs with a three run homer and a couple of singles. Four of Gonzalez's RBI came in the fateful fifth, when the Rockiea 6-2 deficit into a 13-6 advantage. The Rockies sent 16 men to the plate in the frame, including Gonzalez twice, who delivered a three-run homer and a two-run single. Gonzalez had produced the Rockies' first run of the game with a ground-out RBI in the first inning.

The win put the Rockies in second place, 3 1/2 games behind the Dodgers in the NL West. Gonzalez upped his RBI total to 15, good for a tie for sixth with Atlanta's Freddie Freeman.

David Price Blanks Angels; Carlos Gonzalez Bangs a Pair in Colorado Loss

Players of the Day for Tuesday, April 24, 2012

American League

Excepting the West, where the Rangers have a 5 1/2 game lead, the American League division races are up for grabs.

David Price

In the East, the Yankees, Rays, Orioles and Blue Jays are all tied for first place with 10-7 records, while in the Central, there are no games separating Cleveland, Detroit and Chicago, though technically, the Indians have the percentage edge at 9-6 over the 10-7 Tigers and White Sox.

Three teams were held scoreless on Wednesday night. The White Sox were blanked, 2-0, by the A's, and the Yankees were kept from crossing the plate by Texas' Yu Darvish, who fanned 10 in 8 1/3 innings for the 2-0 win, but Tampa Bay's David Price outdid all hurlers, blanking the Angels on five hits for a 5-0 victory.

Price improved to 3-1 with his complete game shutout, the second of his career. He walked one while striking out six, throwing 80 of 119 pitches for strikes. Four Rays - Desmond Jennings, Luke Scott, Carlos Pena and BJ Upton - hit solo homers. Upton added a sac fly RBI in the sixth to complete the Rays' scoring.


National League

Carlos Gonzalez

Carlos Gonzalez is stinging the ball for Colorado, but even his first two homers of the season were not enough to beat the Pirates, as Casey McGahee drove in the winning run in the bottom of the eighth, giving Pittsburgh a 5-4 win over the visiting Rockies.

Gonzalez hit a pair of two-run homers, providing all the offense the Rockies could muster, belting his first of the season in the opening frame, then putting the Rockies up 4-3 in the eighth with a bomb to center field.

The Pirates, however, scored twice in the bottom of the inning to retake the advantage and Joel Hanrahan worked a perfect top of the ninth for his third save.

Pittsburgh improved to 7-9, while dropping the Rockies back to an 8-8 record. Both teams are struggling to keep pace in their respective divisions. Colorado is tied for third in the West, four games behind the Dodgers, while Pittsburgh is three games back of St. Louis, in 4th place in the Central.

AJ Pierzynski Leads White Sox Past Indians; Carlos Gonzalez, Rockies Pound Lincecum, Giants

Players of the Day for Wednesday, April 11, 2012

American League

The Chicago White Sox are hoping to rebound from a disappointing 2011 campaign, and, though it's far too early to tell, the early results are positive. At 3-2, they are a game behind the Tigers in the the AL Central, and even Adam Dunn is getting some hits.

AJ Piersynski

In Wednesday's 10-6 drubbing of Cleveland, one of their steadiest players, catcher A.J. Pierzynski came up with a big effort, going 3-for-4 with a pair of singles and a sixth-inning, three-run homer that broke open a close game.

Pierzynski, a real grinder and clutch hitter in his 12th full year in the majors, is a prototype for the kind of team player every squad wishes to have. A career .287 player, he's played in 128 games or more 10 straight season, which is saying something for a catcher.

With him behind the plate, the Sox stand a good chance of competing in the Central division and have a legitimate shot at making the playoffs.


National League

The Colorado Rockies hammered Tim Lincecum and put up the biggest score of the young season, pounding the Giants, 17-8 at Coors Field.

Carlos Gonzalez

Lincecum lasted just 2 1/3 innings, the shortest outing of his career, surrendering six earned runs on eight hits and a couple of walks. He didn't get the loss, however, as the Giants got him off the hook with a seven-run fourth inning.

The Rockies scored in each of the first five innings, taking the lead for good in the bottom of the fourth with three runs that made the score 9-7. A seven-run outburst in the fifth left little doubt about the outcome of this particular slaughter.

Carlos Gonzalez got things started for the Rockies with an RBI triple in the first inning and tripled home another run in the third. A fourth inning ground out drove in another run and a fifth inning singles plated yet another teammate, all adding up to a 3-for-5 day at the dish with four runs scored and four RBI.

Off to a relatively slow start, Gonzalez is batting .283 and has not yet hit a home run, after five games. The Rockies and Giants play the rubber game of their three-game series Thursday afternoon. San Francisco is just 1-4, while the Rockies have posted a 2-3 record.

Verlander Wins 7th Straight, Now 19-5; Carlos Gonzalez on a Rocky Mountain Tear

Players of the Day for Monday, August 22, 2011

American League

Justin Verlander, meet Cy Young.

Verlander: First to 19

Well, not exactly. Meet the award named after the winningest pitcher in major league baseball history, because you are on a Cy Young-like path this season. Unless Verlander absolutely collapses over his next five or six starts, the battle for the Cy Young award in the American League is essentially over.

Verlander became the first pitcher to notch 19 wins this season, as the Tigers downed Tampa Bay, 5-2. After giving up a leadoff home run to Matt Joyce in the bottom of the first inning, it was lights out from then on, with Verlander allowing just two more hits, three walks and no runs over seven full innings, striking out eight Tampa batters.

The numbers the detroit ace has put up thus far have him well ahead of the rest of the field. Verlander's ERA of 2.28 is second only to LA's Jered Weaver at 2.10. Verlander leads the baseball universe with 212 strikeouts. The next closest in the AL is Seattle's Felix Hernandez with 185 and his 19 wins are two better than C.C. Sabathia's 17. By comparison, no pitcher in the NL has more than 15 wins.

Detroit's triumph over the Rays was their fourth straight win, while Cleveland has lost four straight - three of them to the Tigers - and fallen into a second place tie with the White Sox in the AL Central, 5 1/2 games behind the Tigers.

Verlander has won his last seven starts and is 19-5 on the season.

National League

Gonzalez: 22 HRs

Carlos Gonzalez is back hitting in the three-hole and opposing pitchers are hating it.

In Colorado's 9-5 win over Houston, Gonzalez collected two hits in five at-bats - a double and his 22nd home run - to energize the Rockies as the season slowly turns toward the final month of the regular season.

Since returning from a short stint on the DL, Gonzalez has hit seven home runs and driven in 23 RBI over a 16-game stretch. He's hit safely in ten straight games and has driven in at least one run in each of his last seven.

The Rockies, notable for making late-season runs, won its third straight while Arizona, in first place in the NL West, lost their sixth straight. The Rockies are 8 1/2 games back, but, for Gonzalez and his Colorado teammates, the season is just beginning to get interesting.

David Price Blanks BoSox for 8 as Tampa Wins; Gonzalez, Ianetta lead Rockies Rout

Players of the Day for Wednesday, August 17, 2011

American League

David Price

A week ago, the Boston Red Sox were just cruising along, fresh off taking two of three from the Yankees and looking unbeatable in the AL East.

Somebody must have collectively pinched the Boston players, awakening them to the fact that it's only the middle of August, because after taking two straight from the Twins, they lost the series finale and began a little skid in which they've now lost four of six and first place belongs to the Yankees.

With David Ortiz sitting, David Price and the Tampa Bay Rays took advantage of Boston's weakness, beating them 4-0, to pull to within 8 1/2 of New York and 8 games behind Boston, currently the wild card leader.

Price, in complete control throughout his eight scoreless innings, limited the Red Sox to three hits and three walks while fanning six. His mound work was rewarded by solo homers from Evan Longoria and B.J. Upton. Ben Zobrist bolstered the attack with two RBI.

The Yankees lost, 5-4, in Kansas City, but maintained their 1/2 game edge over Boston.

National League

Chris Iannetta

Carlos Gonzalez

Trailing Arizona by 12 games in the NL West, with the Giants sitting in second place, just 2 1/2 out, the Colorado Rockies probably don't have much chance of making the post-season this year, but they took no time to show the Florida Marlins the kind of offensive fireworks they can produce.

The Rockies scored five first inning runs and scored six more in the third, en route to a thorough, 12-5 rout of the visiting Marlins.

Chris Iannetta socked a bases-loaded double in the first inning for three RBI and singled home another run in the third inning. Carlos Gonzalez singled in a first inning run and scored, then smacked his 20th home run in the third inning, with two men aboard.

The Rockies took two of three from Florida. After a day off Thursday, they open a three-game home series with the LA Dodgers on Friday.

Carlos Gonnzalez Drives in Six, but Royals and Melky Cabrera Bomb Rockies, 16-8; Jeter Returns

Players of the Day for Sunday, June 3, 2011

Inter-League

In a fitting conclusion to interleague play, both the American and National League Players of the Day came out of the same game, Kansas City's 16-8 pasting of Colorado.

Gonzalez: 6 RBI

On the losing side, six of Colorado's eight runs were driven in by Carlos Gonzalez, batting from the leadoff spot.

Gonzalez, or CarGo, as he has become known, cleared the bases with a 5th inning double, driving in three runs, then followed up with a three run homer (his 13th) in the very next inning.

Cabrera: 5 RBI

Alas, for the Rockies, his production would not be nearly enough, because on the other side of the field, Melky Cabrera was packing a week's worth of work into one afternoon.

Adding to three RBI by Jeff Francoeur, and four by Eric Hosmer, Cabrera topped them both by going 4-for-5, with a single, double, two home runs, five RBI and four runs. About all Cabrera didn't do for the Rockies was climb up into the stands and hawk peanuts.

JETER WATCH BACK ON: Completing his untimely stint on the DL, Derek Jeter is expected to be batting leadoff for the Yankees when they open a three-game series in Cleveland on Monday, needing just six hits to become the 28th player in baseball history to record 3000 hits.

The plan is for Jeter to get a few raps in Cleveland, but reach his mark during a four-game set with Tampa Bay back in the Bronx, beginning Thursday. While the fans in New York would love nothing more than to see their favorite son get his 3000th hit in Yankee Stadium, Jeter getting six hits in a seven-game span sounds like a no-brainer, unless "El Capitan" has completely lost his swing.

FINAL INTERLEAGUE TALLY: By winning 10 of the 14 games played on Saturday, the American League broke the tie at 119 wins apiece, finally ending the interleague era for the season with the AL on top 129-123.

Interleague: Gonzalez, Rockies Bomb Tigers; Hamilton Leads Rangers Past Braves

Players of the Day for Friday, June 17, 2011

American League

Josh Hamilton

Interleague play is on again, this time for an extended period. The Texas Rangers kicked things off with a trip to Atlanta for a three-game series with the Braves, taking game one by a 6-2 score.

Leading the Rangers was Josh Hamilton, who has been making up for last time after missing six weeks earlier this year. Hamilton stroked his 5th homer of the season in a 4-for-5 effort, a two-run blast that broke a 1-1 tie in the 5th inning. He drove in another run with a single in the 9th, giving him 3 RBI on the night.

Hamilton is batting .302 and has the Rangers in first place in the AL West, leading the surprising Seattle Mariners by 1/2 game.

National League

Batting leadoff,
Gonzalez has 10-
game hit streak.

It may be unusual for some fans to see Carlos Gonzalez batting leadoff for the Rockies, since the star outfielder was among the league leaders in home runs and RBI last season, but the move seems to be working.

The Rockies won their third straight to pull to within one game of .500, at 34-35, with a 13-6 pounding of the Tigers in the opener of a three game series in Colorado.

Every position player had at least one hit for the Rockies as they banged out 13 base knocks, and while Charlie Blackmon had four hits, Gonzalez had two, one of them his 10th home run of the season, a 5th inning solo shot. Gonzalez also drove in a run with a sac fly in the Rockies' six-run 2nd and two more on a double in the 3rd.

Four RBI from your leadoff spot may not be the prescription for success, but with "Car-Go" going like he is, one can't really argue with the results.

Gonzalez moved to the leadoff spot with the start of a series in San Diego, June 6. After an 0-for-4 opening performance, Gonzalez has adjusted, and is currently on a 10-game hitting streak, which has raised his batting average from .249 to .280. The Rockies are 7-4 since the move.

After taking two of three from Cleveland and reaching first place in the AL Central, the loss by the Tigers, coupled with Cleveland's 5-1 win over Pittsburgh, put the two back into a tie atop the division.

INTERLEAGUE TALLY: Following the multiple mid-May three-game series, the two leagues ended up tied with 21 wins apiece. On Friday, the American League took eight of the 14 games, and now lead the seasonal series 29-27.

Night of the Carlos: Quentin Socks Three for Sox; Gonzalez Blasts a Pair for Rockies

Players of the Day for Tuesday, May 24, 2011

American League

Carlos Quentin had his first three-homer game as a major leaguer and the Chicago White Sox took the middle game of their series with the Texas Rangers, 8-6.

Carlos Quentin

Quentin hit solo shots in the 1st and 9th innings, and belted a three-run shot in the 3rd, minutes before the game was halted for nearly three hours due to heavy rain and hail in Arlington.

Despite the loss, Texas retained its 1/2 game lead in the West, as the Angels were dominated by Oakland, 6-1. Chicago, winners in six of their last eight games, still have plenty of work ahead of them. They trail the Indians by nine games in the AL Central.

The White Sox and Rangers complete their series on Wednesday afternoon. Chicago will head off to Toronto for three games and then three more at Boston to finish out the month of May. The Rangers will host Kansas City for three games after a day off Thursday.

National League

Carlos Gonzalez

In the NL West, everybody's chasing the Giants, but the Colorado Rockies aren't worried about being three games back in second place, especially since Carlos Gonzalez seems to be hitting his best stride.

Gonzalez belted two home runs in Colorado's 12-2 win over the Diamondbacks, a solo shot in the 4th inning and a two-run blast in the 7th. He also walked and scored a run in the 5th inning and drove in another on a fielder's choice in the 6th.

The Rockies dropped the nightcap, 5-2. Gonzalez has hit safely in eight of his last nine games, raising his batting average, from horrible (.234), to only slightly embarrassing (.251). Over that nine-game span, however, the Colorado outfielder has hit four homers and driven in 11 runs.
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Matt LaPorta 4-for-4 in 19-1 Cleveland Win; Gonzalez Blasts Lincecum, Giants

Players of the Day for Monday, May 16, 2011

American League

Thus far, the Cleveland Indians have been ripping apart the AL Central and the rest of the American League.

Matt LaPorta

Already at or near the top of most of the offensive categories and leading the division by 3 1/2 games, the Indians went off against Kansas City Monday night, amassing 20 hits in a smashing, 19-1, victory.

Every position starter had at least one hit, but first baseman Matt LaPorta topped them all, going 4-for-4, with two doubles, two singles, four RBI and a run scored.

In his second full season with the Indians, LaPorta is beginning to flourish at the plate. Along with catcher Carlos Santana, the Indians have the nucleus of a division contender for years to come. LaPorta has four homers and 21 RBI on the season, along with a .274 batting average.

Combined with Detroit's 4-2 loss to Toronto, the Indians stretched their lead to 4 1/2 games.

National League

Despite having to face Tim Lincecum on Monday, the Colorado Rockies were looking to reclaim their lost lead in the NL West with a pair of games with the Giants in Colorado.

Carlos Gonzalez

Coming into the game, San Francisco held a 1 1/2 game lead in the division, but the Rockies knew that taking both would put them back atop the NL West.

Lincecum banked the Rockies for the first four innings, but Troy Tulowitzki singled home a pair of runs in the bottom of the 5th for a short-lived, 2-1 lead. Homers in the 6th by Andres Torres and Nate Schierholtz put the Giants back on top, 4-2, but the Rockies struck right back in the bottom of the inning with five runs, capped by a three run homer by Carlos Gonzalez that sent Lincecum in one of his worst starts of the season.

Lincecum lasted just 5 2/3 innings, and even though only 3 of the 7 runs Colorado scored, Lincecum certainly didn't help matters, allowing nine hits and issuing six walks.

The homer by Gonzalez was his 5th of the season and provided all the offense the Rockies' bullpen would need as a parade of five relievers shut out the Giants over the final three innings for the 7-4 win, leaving the Giants with a slim 1/2 game lead.

The second and final game of the series is Tuesday in Colorado. A win by the Rockies puts them back on top of the division.

Carlos Gonzalez Goes 4-for-5, Rockies Win; Trevor Cahill Stumps Tigers

Players of the Day for Sunday, April 17, 20101

American League

Trevor Cahill

The Detroit Tigers started out well in their 4-game series at Oakland, winning the first two games, but since then the A's have had their way taking their second straight from the Tigers Sunday, as Trevor Cahill shut Detroit down on 4 hits in a 5-1 A's win.

The win was Cahill's second of the season without a loss, going 8 innings, fanning 9 and allowing one run, which came in the 6th inning, after the A's had already forged a 4-0 lead.

Cahill was strong, throwing 80 of 112 pitches for strikes as the A's moved back to .500, at 8-8, five games behind NL West leader, Texas.

Carlos Gonzalez

National League

The Cubs may have snapped Colorado's win streak on Saturday, but the Rockies went right back to starting another one with a 9-5 win at Coors Field on Sunday.

Doing his fair share to keep Colorado in first place in the NL West, Carlos Gonzalez went 4-for-5 (all singles), scored a run, stole a base and drove in two runs.

Gonzalez has 12 RBI on the season, and has hit only one home run thus far, but it's not a worry as the Rockies lead the Giants by 3 1/2 games in the division.

Blackburn Perfect for 3; Gonzalez 3-for-3 in Win over Royals

Players of the Day for Saturday, March 5, 2011

American League

Nick Blackburn

Nick Blackburn no-hit the Tampa Bay Rays for three innings, striking out two, and six other Minnesota pitchers held the Rays to three hits for the game as the Twins won, 6-1.

Blackburn, beginning his 4th full season with the Twins, has had up-and-down seasons thus far, going 32-36 with a 4.10 ERA.

The Twins are hoping that Blackburn will become more consistent in 2011 as he has normally good control but has been streaky.

National League

Carlos Gonzalez

The Colorado Rockies outlasted Kansas City in a 10-9 exhibition game victory as Carlos Gonzalez found his groove.

Gonzlaez rapped out a pair of singles and a double in three at-bats, drove in one run and scored twice in the game. He had been in a 1-for-6 slump to start Spring training.

A big part of the Rockies' success in 2010, Gonzalez hit 34 homers and drove in 117 runs for the Rockies, a late-season surge nearly capturing the NL MVP award. He did cache some hardware, however, earning the MLB Players Choice Player of the Year and NL Most Outstanding Player in addition to the Silver Slugger award, a Rawlings Gold Glove and won MLB.com's Breakout Player of the Year.

Team Report: Colorado Rockies

The outlook for Colorado is upbeat after falling just short of reaching the playoffs in 2010, finishing in third place behind San Francisco and a collapsing San Diego squad, nine games out with a record of 83-79.

That positive finish above .500 portends good things to come in 2011, especially if their off-season moves prove to be correct and the top of the lineup -  CF Dexter Fowler and LF Seth Smith perform up to their abilities.

Tulowitzki

With MVP candidate Carlos Gonzalez (RF) batting behind them, every time one of the 1-2 hitters reaches base creates the potential for a big inning. Another element which will almost certainly help the Rockies would be a full season from #4 hitter, shortstop Troy Tulowitzki, the do-it-all guy in Colorado.

The infield is also counting on relative newcomers 2B Jose Lopez and 3B Ian Stewart, of whom big things have been expected but really haven't panned out. Todd Helton returns for another season at first base, and catcher Chris Ianetta will be the regular receiver.

Jimenez

A bonus in the NL West, the Rockies have the ability to score runs. Of the five teams in the division, they and the Dodgers have the most potentially potent offenses, but the Rockies need another stud start to go with Ubaldo Jimenez, who had a great first half, but tailed off in the latter part of the year.

At issue is the relative quality of the four starters behind Ubaldo, which includes the only lefty, Jorge De La Rosa, then Jhoulys Chacin, Aaron Cook and Jason Hammel. None of these starters are overly impressive, so they're likely be asked to just provide five or six solid innings, allow the regulars to do their thing with the bats and leave the rest to an amply-supplied bullpen. This is one of the most well-stocked units in the league, especially after picking up Matt Lindstrom from Houston to go with Rafael Betancourt, Matt Belisle, and lefties Matt Reynolds and Franklin Morales. Should that group deliver the Rockies to the ninth with a lead, the capable hand and arm of Huston Street will be on hand to close out the game.

That's the plan, and if the Rockies stick to it, they could have quite a bit of success in the again suspect NL West. Winning the division is more dependent on how well the Giants defend their World Series title, but the Rockies, along with the Dodgers, should make for an interesting wild card race.